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Game Notes, August 16 at Arkansas

August 16, 2012 - Texas League (TL) Corpus Christi Hooks

Corpus Christi (31-20, 68-53) @ Arkansas (26-25, 53-68)

Arkansas continued its recent dominance over the Hooks last night, dispatching Corpus Christi 3-0 in one-hit fashion at Dickey-Stephens Park. A.J. Schugel hit Robbie Grossman to open the game, yielded a line-drive single to Enrique Hernandez in the third and walked Chris Wallace in the fifth. That was all Corpus Christi could muster against one of the Texas League's top pitchers. Schugel struck out three and faced two over the minimum thru six innings, throwing 55 of 81 pitches for strikes. Eddie McKiernan picked up where Schugel left off, retiring the nine men he faced in order. In all, Corpus Christi advanced one runner to second base safely.

Asher Wojciechowski was saddled with the lough-luck loss. He worked 5.2 innings and surrendered eight hits (all singles) but three came in the span of four batters in the fifth. And, thanks in part to a passed ball, two of those runners scored. Wojciechowski did not walk a batter and fanned five, throwing 66 of 95 pitches for strikes. Erick Abreu, who notched the final out in the sixth, finished the game for Corpus Christi, allowing just one hit while striking out four.

The Hooks have lost their last four games against Arkansas but still lead San Antonio by four in the Texas League South. The Travelers, who swept Corpus Christi last week at Whataburger Field, have won six of their last 10.

Tonight's Matchup:

RHP Bobby Doran (3-2, 7.67) vs. RHP Mike Piazza (5-3, 2.68)

Doran, selected by the Astros in the fourth round of the 2010 draft out of Texas Tech, makes his seventh start with Corpus Christi tonight. He matched up against Piazza last Friday at Whataburger Field and was tagged for eight runs on seven hits, including two home runs by Darwin Perez. Doran walked three and struck out three in 4.1 innings. In his two starts since re-joining the Hooks, the Flower Mound native has surrendered 14 earned runs on 18 hits over 10.2 innings. Doran had a four-start stint with the Hooks from June 22-July 10, in which he went 3-1 with a 5.57 ERA. Doran was recalled from Lancaster on August 3 where he went 8-4 with a 3.57 ERA in 17 starts. He struck out 72 and walked 30, holding the league to a .244 batting average while featuring a GO/AO ratio of 1.22. Doran ranked sixth in the California League in ERA and placed second among league starters in opponents' batting average. Named to the CL All-Star Team, he posted a quality start in his last five outings and in 12 of his 17 overall with the JetHawks. His Double-A debut came June 22 at Frisco. Doran allowed five runs on eight hits over five innings to notch the victory. He was the ace of the Red Raider staff in 2010, going 5-4 with a 4.35 ERA as a junior. Doran was originally selected by Pittsburgh in the 36th round of the 2009 draft out of Seward County CC in Liberal, Kansas.

- Went 4-3 with a 3.48 ERA over first two months of the season (17 BB / 47 K)

- 1-3 with a 9.05 ERA in 22 appearances (13 starts) for Lancaster in 2011

- Graduate of 5A Flower Mound High School...tossed first no-hitter in school history (2007)

Piazza, signed as a non-drafted free agent in June 2009 out of Florida Tech, makes his ninth start and 36th appearance for Arkansas. Last Friday, Piazza earned the victory despite yielding six runs via 10 hits and two home runs (Jon Singleton and Robbie Grossman) in 6.2 innings. The Texas League's ERA leader has won his last four appearances and was named the circuit's Pitcher of the Week for July 22-29. During that stretch, Piazza did not allow a run thru one start and two relief appearances, surrendering just seven hits and three walks while striking out 12 in 13.2 frames. He strung together a scoreless streak of 22.1 innings from July 8 to August 4. Piazza places second in the loop in batting average against (.216) and his WHIP of 1.10 ranks third. As a starter this season, Piazza is 3-2 with a 3.14 ERA, compared to 2-1 with a 2.22 ERA out of the bullpen. He leads all league relief pitchers in opposition batting average (.195) and base runners per nine (9.80). Piazza made just one professional start before this season, with the Class-A Cucamonga Quakes (now a Dodgers affiliate) in 2010. Last season with Arkansas, Piazza pitched in 20 games out of the bullpen and went 0-1 with a 3.26 ERA in 30.1 innings. He began the year at Inland Empire, posting an ERA of 2.78 in 20 relief appearances. Piazza struck out 42 and walked 13 in 35.2 innings.

- Is 8-7 with a 2.74 ERA in 109 appearances over 4 seasons as a pro (221 K | 92 BB | 226.1 IP)

- Thru 55 outings in the Texas League, features a 5-4 record and a 2.82 ERA (105 K | 51 BB | 127.2 IP)

- 20-11 in 4 years at Division II Florida Tech in Melbourne, led Panthers to NCAA South Regional as a senior

One-hit blunder

Last night's one-hitter was the second tossed against Corpus Christi this season and the third in club history. Tulsa's Edwar Cabrera came within three outs of perfection against the Hooks this April. Chris Wallace stroked an infield single behind the bag at second to derail Cabrera's date with destiny on the 17th at ONEOK Field. The 24-year old struck out eight and threw 102 pitches before giving way to Coty Woods who notched the final two outs in order as Tulsa swept the Hooks with a 4-0 triumph. On April 17, 2006 at Whataburger Field, San Antonio's Yorman Bazardo (W), Jason Mackintosh and Mike Flannery collaborated on the feat as the Missions shutout the Hooks 5-0. Catcher J.R. House's two-out single in the fourth was the lone hit for Corpus Christi.

Oddly enough, the only one-hitter hurled by Corpus Christi was authored one month ago last night. Jarred Cosart, Kevin Chapman and Jason Stoffel were the key players as the Hooks knocked off Frisco 5-2 at Whataburger Field. Cosart, who did not allow a hit through five innings, walked Leury Garcia to open the sixth and Jurickson Profar followed with a triple to center field to put the RoughRiders on the board. Cosart walked four, hit one batter and struck out five, inducing 11 ground outs compared to two fly outs. Chapman and Stoffel retired all 10 men they faced.

Run by blanking

The Travs handed Corpus Christi its 10th shutout loss of the season, which is tied with Tulsa and San Antonio for the most in the Texas League. The Hooks were held scoreless 11 times last season and the club record is 15, achieved during the 2008 campaign. Meanwhile, Arkansas has been involved in a league-high 20 shutouts this year with 11 coming in winning fashion.

Traveling through

After winning their first six meetings against the Travelers, the Hooks have dropped four straight to their new North Division nemeses. Over the four games, Arkansas has outscored Corpus Christi 29-10, following the one-hit shutout last night. In addition to the Arkansas offense hitting .294 (41-143) over the four games, the Corpus Christi bats have fallen silent. The Hooks have been shutout twice, on the way to a .168 (21-125) team batting average.

The Hooks won the first six meetings of the season between the two teams, outscoring the Travelers 40-16. In their three-game sweep of the Hooks at Whataburger Field last week, Arkansas hit seven home runs. The team has hit just 67 all season, fewest in the Texas League. Playing three games over the weekend at Wolff Stadium in San Antonio, a pitcher's park, the Travelers offense returned to form. In the series Arkansas scored just nine runs and hit .188 (18-96) on its way to dropping two out of three to the Missions. CC leads the league in runs (650) and ARK is last (460).

Spelling relief a-b-r-e-u

Last night's game was the first time the Hooks bullpen did not allow a run since August 4 at Midland. In that game Bobby Doran started for Corpus Christi and allowed six earned runs on 11 hits in six and one-third innings. Erik Abreu and Arcenio Leon combined for two and two-third innings of shutout relief as the Hooks won 17-6. Abreu pitched two and one-third scoreless innings last night in relief of starter Asher Wojciechowski to end the streak of games with a run allowed by the Hooks bullpen. In eight games from August 5-13, the relief corps allowed 23 runs, 20 earned, in 33.2 innings for a 5.35 earned run average and the team went 3-5.

Astros complete trade with Toronto

Houston has acquired right-handed pitcher Kevin Comer as the player to be named later in the July 20 trade with the Blue Jays. Comer (6-3, 205) was selected out of high school by Toronto in the supplemental first round of the 2011 June Draft (57th overall). In 10 appearances (seven starts) at Bluefield this season, he was 3-3 with a 3.95 ERA (19ER/43.1IP) with eight walks and 29 strikeouts. He posted a 3.16 ERA (11ER/31.1IP) in his seven starts. Comer, who has touched 96 mph, was rated by Baseball America as having one of the top fastballs in the Blue Jays system. Baseball Prospectus rated him as the Blue Jays' 10th-best prospect. The Astros have assigned Comer to Greeneville.

The New Jersey native is the seventh player that the Astros have received from Toronto as part of the July 20 trade. The others are RHP Joe Musgrove, RHP Asher Wojciechowski, LHP David Rollins, C Carlos Perez, RHP Francisco Cordero and OF Ben Francisco. The Astros sent RHP David Carpenter, LHP J.A. Happ and RHP Brandon Lyon to Toronto in the deal.

Pitching Rotation vs. Arkansas

Friday: LHP Rob Rasmussen (4-2, 4.74) vs. RHP Orangel Arenas (4-9, 5.69)

HOOKS PLAYER NOTES

Adam Bailey

- 0-for-2 in Springfield series...both ABs came as a PH

- 2 for his last 13 with two doubles and two RBIs

- Has played in just five games in August (two starts)

- Hit .308 with 2 doubles, 1 home run and 7 RBIs thru 17 games in July

- Batting .248(26-105) vs. RHP; .300(6-20) vs. LHP; .286(10-35) w/RISP

- Added to roster May 30 from Advanced-A Lancaster

- In 47 games with the JetHawks was batting .279-8-25 with 2 SBs

- In 23 games at the end of last season with the Hooks hit .323-3-15

Bobby Borchering

- Notched 2nd four-RBI game with CC Saturday (3-R HR & SF)...lone start vs. SPR (ankle)

- Went 1-for-10 with a run, a walk and 4 Ks in series vs. Arkansas

- Has 3 hits and 4 RBIs in his last eight games (23 ABs, 8 Ks, 3 BBs)

- 7-for-16 with 4 runs, two doubles, two home runs and 4 RBIs in series at Midland

- In first six games with the Hooks went 8-for-20 (.400) with 3 HR and 10 RBI

- Hit .277 with 23 2B, 18 HR and 60 RBIs for Visalia this season

- Promoted to Mobile on July 3: .103-2-8 in 21 games for the BayBears

- 1st round pick of the D-Backs in 2009, rated as best power hitter in their system by BA

- Tabbed by MLB.com as Arizona's No. 11 prospect

- Hit .267 with 29 2B, 24 HR and 92 RBIs for Visalia last year

- Has struck out 454 times compared to 145 walks in his career

- Played exclusively in the OF this season with ARI...161 G at 3B | 68 G at 1B thru first 3 years

- Graduated from Bishop Verot High School in Fort Myers, same alma mater as Chris Johnson

Jay Fernandez

- 2-for-11 with 2 RBIs (bases-loaded BBs) vs. SPR | 5-for-30 (.166) in 8 G since rejoining club

- Has hit safely in 21 of the last 30, 29-103 (.282) w/ 7 2B, 4 HR, 17 R & 20 RBIs

- Promoted in mid-July, was 1-for-8 w/ 2 RBIs for the RedHawks...hip-flexor injury limited action

- Selected Texas League Player of the Week June 11-17, hit .524-1-5 with 3 doubles

- Batting .225(21-111) vs. RHP; .295(13-44) vs. LHP; .240(12-50) w/RISP

- Has a career caught-stealing percentage of 38.9 (170 of 436)

- In 8 seasons in the Mariners and Twins systems, hit .244-16-162 in 439 games

Jacob Goebbert

- 5-game hit streak snapped last night (0-1 as PH), 10-16 (.625) with 7 R, 3 2Bs, 1 3B and 3 RBIs

- 5-for-10 with 3 runs, 2 doubles and an RBI in Springfield series

- 10th in the TL in batting average (.293)

- Has hit safely in 6 of last 8 games, snapping a 2-for-15 spell | 5 RBIs in last 22 games

- From July 18-July 28 hit .405 (15-37) to raise average from .267 to .286

- Hit .282 with 4 2B, 1 3B, 20 BB, 16 K, 2 HR and 10 RBIs in July

- Promoted to OKC on June 9...went 4-for-30 (.133) with 2 R, 1 2B and 1 RBI in 16 G

- His walk-off, 3-run HR April 9 the first walk-off HR in his pro career

- Named Texas League Co-Player of the Week (April 5-15), hit .429

- Batting .274(65-237) vs. RHP; .356(26-73) vs. LHP; .329(27-82) w/RISP

Robbie Grossman

- Has hits in 14 of his 19 games with CC

- 0-7 following 4-game hit streak, 9-16 with 6 runs, 3 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 4 BB & 4 K

- Went 3-for-12 in Arkansas series, including first HR as a Hook last Friday

- Batting .345(19-55) vs. RHP; .263(5-19) vs. LHP; .250(3-12) w/RISP

- Acquired from PIT with LHPs Rudy Owens and Colton Cain for LHP Wandy Rodriguez

- Hit .266 with 20 2B, 4 3B, 7 HR, 36 RBI and 9 SB in 95 games for Altoona (.378 OBP)

- Was 5th in the Eastern League with 59 runs scored and first in walks (59) before the trade

- Named Pittsburgh's Player of the Year last year, led the FSL in runs (124) and walks (104)

- Hit .292 with 13 home runs, 56 RBIs and 24 stolen bases for Bradenton, posting a .381 OBP

- Originally a 6th round pick of the Pirates in 2008 out of Cy Fair High School in Houston

- Ranked by Baseball America as Pittsburgh's No. 7 prospect entering 2012

Enrique Hernandez

- Went 3-for-12 with two runs, 1 double and 1 RBIs in Springfield series

- Promoted from High-A Lancaster Friday...went 0-for-4 in Double-A debut

- With the JetHawks, hit .275 (104-378) with 52 R, 25 2B, 7 3B, 5 HR and 49 RBI in 100 games

- Let the CL 2B in fielding percentage (.971) and double plays (71) turned

- In June, hit .330 (30-91) with 15 RBI | His 9.56 PA/K ration ranked 3rd in the circuit

- Played for Lexington in 2011 and hit .247-2-17; with Tri-City in 2010, hitting .280-3-33

- Named the ValleyCats' P-o-M for August as Tri-City went on to win the NYPL Championship

- Was the Gulf Coast League Astros MVP for 2009, after hitting .295

- Selected by HOU in the 6th round of the 2009 draft out of the American Military Academy in PR

Drew Locke

- Entered in a double switch Mon. (0-1), snapped 3-game hit streak, 4-12 w/ 5 R, 1 HR & 2 RBIs

- 1-for-11 in Arkansas series with 4 Ks

- Has hit safely in 17 of last 21, 30-77 (.390) with 7 2B, 1 3B, 16 R, 2 HR and 18 RBIs

- Hits in 26 of last 34: 50-132 (.379), 3 HR, 10 2B, 1 3B, 25 R & 26 RBI

- Named the Astros Double-A Defensive Player of the Month for July

- Went 5-for-5 July 19 at Midland, owns two of the five 5-hit games in club history

- Thru 26 games in July: .371 with 15 runs, 7 doubles, 1 HR and 19 RBIs

- Batting .321(51-159) vs. RHP; .311(19-61) vs. LHP; .379(25-66) w/RISP

- Had played 40 games this season for Sugar Land Skeeters (.285-4-24)

- Was the Texas League's batting champion with the Hooks in 2009 (.338)

- Holds franchise single-season records for average (.338) and RBIs (109)

Ben Orloff

- Posted career highs for hits (5) & RBIs (4) Sunday night...5-5 with 3 R, 2B, & 3B

- Has hit safely in 9 of last 14, 15-51 (.294)

- Batting .246(15-61) vs. RHP; .294(5-17) vs. LHP; .214(3-14) w/RISP

- Was hitting .288 with 8 doubles, 29 RBIs and 7 steals in 77 games at Lancaster

- Featured the lowest K/PA ratio (15.09) in the California League...32 BB / 22 K

- Featured a .972 fielding percentage, tops among CL shortstops

- .284-2-31 with 15 doubles and 51 RBIs in 96 games at Lexington last year

- MVP for Tri-City in 2010...ValleyCats went on to win NYPL Championship

- Hit .307 with 52 R, 4 2B, 16 RBIs, 34 BB, 19 Ks & 23 SB in 63 games that season

Andy Simunic

- four-game hit streak snapped last night, 6-16 (.375) with 1 2B, 3 R & 1 RBI

- 3-for-12 in Arkansas series

- Has hit in 13 of last 16 games, going 20-61 (.328) with 2 2B, 1 HR, 9 RBI & 7 BB

- Batted .316 thru 21 games in July, scoring 17 runs and driving in 9

- Hit 2nd pro grand slam July 20 & drove in career-high 5 runs

- Has hits in 22 of last 27 games, 35-105 (.333) with 22 R, 2 2B, 1 3B, 12 RBI and 10 BB

- Rejoined Hooks June 14 from AAA Oklahoma City, where he was 0-9 in 8 games

- Hit .391 with 4 doubles and 7 RBIs during 16 games in June

- 3rd in the league in hitting (.307)

- Batting .305(78-256) vs. RHP; .316(24-76) vs. LHP; .242(23-95) w/RISP

- Finished last year at Lancaster: .295-5-28 in 67 games

Jon Singleton

- 4-game hit streak snapped last night, 7-19 with 7 R, 2 2B, 3 HR and 9 RBIs

- 2-for-12 in Arkansas series... 15 RBIs in last 11 games

- Has 6 HR in last 65 games / 11 HR thru first 50 games

- Hits in 22 last 31 games, 35-118 (.297) with 25 R, 7 2B, 3B, 5 HR & 23 RBIs

- 7-for-17 July 2-9 w/ 3 R, 4 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 4 RBIs & 4 BB to earn TL POW honors

- 1st in the league in runs (82), 2nd in walks (75), T-3rd in XBH (46)

- .347-3-14 with 9 2B, 2 3B, 18 BB & 25 K over 28 games in July to earn CC P-o-M honors

- .148-1-6 with 4 2B and 20 BB thru 25 games in June

- Named the Texas League's Player of the Week (May 21-27), hit .500-4-12

- CC's offensive player of the month in May (.281-7-24, .931 OPS)

- Batting .290(84-290) vs. RHP; .243(28-115) vs. LHP; .303(36-119) w/RISP

- Batted .350 with 7 2B, 2 3B, 3 HR 13 RBIs, 12 walks, 16 Ks thru 22 G in April

George Springer

- 1-for-3 with 1 2B, 1 R and 1 BB in first AA start

- HBP on the head in 9th Friday night vs. ARK & left the game...last night first game back

- Hit .316 with 18 2B, 10 3B, 22 HR, 82 RBI and 28 SB in 106 games for Advanced-A Lancaster

- 8th in the California League in BA (.316), t-3rd in HR (22), 5th in RBI (82), 2nd in H (137)

- In July hit .389 with 6 HR and 24 RBI and 9 SB; had a .464 OBP and a .657 SLG

- Mid-season all-star, voted CL Player of the week ending 5/14, 12-for-23 (.522), 5 HR & 10 RBIs

- Posted 3 HR night on 5/11 vs. Lake Elsinore, 16-game hit streak from 6/23 to 7/8

- Rated as the No. 3 prospect in the HOU system by both Baseball America and MLB.com

- BA rated him as the best defensive outfielder and best outfield arm in the organization

- Played in eight games last season for Short Season A Tri City last year and went 5-for-28

- Received the second highest signing bonus in Astros history at $2.525 million

- Selected in the first round (11th overall) in the 2011 draft out of the University of Connecticut

- Became the highest draft pick in UConn history

- Named the 2011 Big East Player of the Year after hitting .343 with 12 HR, 77 RBI and 31 SB

Chris Wallace

- Rejoined the Hooks last night following a 3-week stint at Triple-A OKC

- Has hit safely in 7 of last 9, 13-26 (.500) w/ 5 R, 5 BB, 2 2B & 4 RBIs

- 3-for-3 June 22 at FRI with 4 R, 1 2B, 1 HR & 3 RBIs

- Has hits in 9 of last 15 (.405), 17-42 with 10 R, 3 2B & 6 RBIs

- Went 10-for-37 (.270) with 3 2B & 7 RBIs in 15 games with the RedHawks

- .167-1-7 in 16 June games / .467-1-3 in 11 July games

- Batting .250(29-116) vs. RHP; .262(11-42) vs. LHP; .255(12-47) w/RISP

- His HR (20) and RBI (78) totals ranked third among Houston farmhands last year

- Posted a .291 average in 4 years for the Cougars, led Houston with 10 HRs as a senior

Austin Wates

- Went 3-for-3 with 3 R, 1 2B & 2 RBIs on Sunday following 3-week stint on DL (groin)

- Has hit safely in 8 of last 11 games; 14-37 (.378) with 10 R, 2 2B, 1 HR & 4 RBIs

- Hit his first walk-off HR as a pro July 12 vs. Frisco (3-for-5 with 6 RBIs)

- 4th player in Hooks history to drive in six RBIs in one game

- Tied for 5th in the league with a .304 average | Last SB was May 31 at Arkansas

- Hitting .317 (33-104) since the beginning of June with 6 2Bs, 2 HRs and 16 RBIs

- Struck out 5 times July 5 at NWA - a career and franchise high

- Batting .322(75-233) vs. RHP; .250(19-76) vs. LHP; .343(24-70) w/RISP

- Named Lancaster's MVP in 2011, led the JetHawks in 8 statistical categories

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